This is a very complex, well structured storyline and I dread to think how the author managed to keep everything together through the writing process. Having said that it was great to read and the story kept you wanting to know more and kept you seeking to try to solve the mystery.. Initially I was wondering which genre the book was going to fit under, but it soon became clear that this clearly fit in the psychological thriller genre.
It feels like the author must have put all her energy into this book and she created a thrilling read.giving you emotions that make you feel claustrophobic, cheated, hurt, isolated and in a dark place. It also made you think about relationships, how you can often do the 'wrong' thing to protect others and how our minds can play tricks with our thinking.
Many thanks to Penguin, NetGalley and Claire Douglas for providing me with an electronic advance copy of the book in return for an honest, unbiased review.
The book was published on 15th September and is available in e-book, audio book and paperback versions.
#TheGirlsWhoDisappeared #NetGalley

Back in November 1998, Olivia Rutherford was driving her three friends home after a night out. As she passed through the darkly-wooded Devil's Corridor, a figure appeared in the road. Olivia swerved to avoid him and the car smashed into a tree, leaving her trapped. When she regained consciousness her three friends had disappeared. Ralph Middleton, who lived in the woods helped her before the police and ambulance arrived. But what had happened to Sally Thorne, Tamsin Cole and Hetty Riding? Their disappearance would be yet another mysterious happening in the Stafferbury area of Wiltshire. It was thought of as Avebury's poor relation.

Twenty years later, Olivia is still living at the stables with her mother. She's regarded with some suspicion: surely there must be something she's hiding? Olivia's attempts to develop a friendship with Izzy Thorne, Sally's sister, fizzled out and she's left with Wesley, a new boyfriend at the time of the accident who's stuck with her through the intervening two decades. Sometimes he stays over at the stables: other times she'll sleep at his flat but she finds it pokey and prefers to avoid it if she can. Actually, you're left with the suspicion that she'd prefer to avoid Wesley but she feels grateful for his support.

A podcast is being prepared for the twentieth anniversary of the disappearance of the girls and journalist Jenna Halliday is in Stafferbury to gather background. She's obviously not welcome in the town and Wesley is insistent that Olivia shouldn't speak to her. Jenna's got her own problems. Her husband, Gavin, wants to have some space from their marriage which is painful for Jenna and their ten-year-old son, Finn. Gavin's moved back into the family home to look after Finn whilst Jenna's away.

We're also given the developing story of eight friends who went to Thailand on holiday. The luxury villa they're staying in is far more luxurious than they expected but it seems that there might be a price to be paid.

This is a cracking story despite the fact that for most of the book you won't be certain how it all fits together. It does though - you're in safe hands with Claire Douglas. She has a real talent for building a plot: it kept me guessing right to the end. She also delivers a real sense of the location: the eeriness left me shivering at times. Her characterisation of the women in the story is particularly strong: I really felt for Jenna and her marital problems. There's no doubt about her love for Gavin and devotion to Finn but there's a dawning realisation that she needs to know where the marriage is going.

Olivia comes off the page exceptionally well. She's a damaged young woman but you can't help but conclude that her mother and Wesley - both ostensibly there the support her - aren't really helping. Are they just misguided, or is there something more behind the way they're acting?

This is my first Claire Douglas novel but it certainly won't be the last. I'd like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.

I enjoyed this story which could be put in the psychological thriller genre. I did order where the 'back story' was going, but it all unfolded in the end, with some unexpected reveals.

After reading The Couple at No 9 earlier in the year, I was incredibly excited to see Claire Douglas had written another book in a similar style that sounded just as gripping! Whilst I think The Couple at No 9 remains a firm favourite, The Girls Who Disappeared is still a fantastically thrilling read. I like the use of two protagonists with Jenna and Olivia, and the fact that Jenna is creating a podcast felt very natural for the story and really suited it. I did lose track of what was happening at the end with the multiple story lines coming together but I would say everything is still tied up at the end. The short chapters really help keep the plot fast-paced which I definitely enjoyed. Still a big recommend for this book if you enjoy thrillers and books that keep you guessing!

This was a fantastic read, the story flowed really well and was a tense and gripping read. Very enjoyable.

What an excellent book this was to read. It had me hooked from the off trying to unravel the storyline/truth. Great characters, a very intriguing storyline that has you not wanting to put the book down until you’d finished it - my description of a 5 star book!

The girls who disappeared by Claire Douglas.
Twenty years ago Olivia survives a car crash in which her three friends have disappeared. Sally Tamzin and Hetty. Now Jenna who is doing a podcast on the car crash and missing girls is talking to everyone. But will ivia speak to her. Can they find out what happened that night?
A brilliant twister of a read. I had no clue. I did like Olivia. Jenna grew on me. Didn't trust Wesley. 5*.

A fairly quick read with a decent plot. My main gripe about the book is that the villains come across as bit pantomime - over the top. The story builds quite nicely, with a couple of threads coming together towards the end but then it all got a bit silly and the end was just a bit of a twist too far for me.

When journalist Jenna is tasked with making a podcast coving the mysterious disappearance of 3 young women 20 years ago after a car accident in which Olivia was the only person who was left in the car, she’s looking forward to getting stuck in to work and getting away from her home in Manchester for a few days. She and her husband have recently separated, and she needs the distraction although she will miss her 10 year old son Finn.
After booking herself in to a cabin in the woods to start her investigation and find people willing to talk to her, she starts to unravel things from the past that people have been trying to keep hidden, and someone is trying to stand in her way, but who, and why? The person left in the car that night Olivia, is reluctant to speak to her, and her boyfriend Wesley threatens Jenna, but what is he hiding and why doesn’t Olivia want to talk to her? Someone knows the truth about what happened that night, and Jenna is determined to find out, and things get more interesting when Dale, a cold case police detective is brought in to re examine the case. Together, can they put the 20 year mystery to and end?

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’l really enjoyed it. The basis of the story was good. and well thought out. I had no idea what was going to happen, or where the story was leading at all. I felt genuine empathy for Olivia, and Jenna is a great character who comes across very well in the story.

This a great mystery/psychological thriller and I would definitely recommend it. The only thing I would say is there felt like some lose ends needed tying up at the end but I don’t want to give too much away to ruin the story.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for letting me pre-read this book.

A twisty turning mystery that keeps you guessing with no idea which characters you can trust. This novel is certainly a page turner and kept me up to the early hours so that I could finish it. A small creepy English town, with a hint of the supernatural, whose residents really don’t seem to want to discuss the disappearance of three girls in a car accident over 20 years before which leaves Olivia, one of the narrators , and survivor of the crash with no idea what has happened to them.Jenna, the other narrator, is a journalist sent to gather information for a podcast to investigate this 20-year-old mystery. Little does Jenna know what she is about to stir up when she starts asking questions. This book certainly does not disappoint and I would thoroughly recommend . Many thanks to NetGalley , the publisher and of course the wonderful Claire Douglas for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel.

I am a huge Claire Douglas fan and I was super excited to get approved to get a ARC of The Girls who Disappeared. This book literally had me hooked from page 1 and did not disappoint me at all.

We meet Olivia 20 years in the past and she is driving home down the creepiest of roads nicknamed Devils Corridor, with 3 of her friends in the car. They have and awful accident and then when Olivia awakes she finds her friends are missing without a trace and know one has seen them since.

We then meet Jenna who is staying the town where the girls disappeared as she is investigating the story of the missing girls and making a podcast of it. Jenna is also having family issues and we learn about this.

The story is told through Jenna and Olivia's points of views and I really loved both of these very interesting characters.

This is such a good story that is set in a very atmospheric and creepy novel.

Thanks to Claire Douglas, NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Have been a fan of this author since reading Last Seen Alive. This is another cleverly weaved story with a dramatic ending. A must read.

The Girls who disappeared is a gripping fast paced thriller which keeps the reader guessing ,a real page turner. Set in a place known as the Devils Corridor near Wiltshire there is a spooky vibe about this story .Three girls disappear twenty years ago after a car crash ,there is one survivor but what happened to them ? I absolutely loved this dark twisty atmospheric thriller with a surprising ending .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Penguin.
Olivia has lived with the guilt of surviving a car crash when her three fronds didn’t.
Now it’s the 20 year anniversary and a journalist has arrived to bring everything up again.
It’s a slow burner of a book but when the pace quickens you will not be able to put it down.

A haunting an harrowing tale about a small village on the edge of Dorset England.
When twenty years ago four friends had a car accident but only Olivia was found..what happened to her other three friends?
The tales and twists in this book makes you think and wonder, narrated in the two time lines it certainly had me guessing right to the end.

Another wonderful page turner from Ms Douglas - she manages a complicated and twisty plot well without losing the reader enroute and the 2 plot lines come together to form a satisfying ending! Can't really ask much more of a thriller.

Thank you to netgalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book.

This was my book groups September read, and I jumped straight in. I was glued, if I hadn’t been so tired lately, I would have read more than a few percent each night, taking me 10 days to read it. But that was tiredness, nothing to do with the story, which by the I thought was brilliant.

I loved Olivia, and Jenna, and was shocked with the different twists tat happen in the book. I did not expect the answers to be the answers, if you know what I mean. I don’t even know what else to say without breaking into some kind of spoiler!

I would recommend this to everyone who likes. Good mystery/thriller, and I’m really looking forward to reading another of Claire’s books (I have The Couple at No 9 to read).

Another gripping book by Claire Douglas.
A mystery that was unsolved for twenty years, how much would Jenna, a journalist, be able to find out when visiting the area to do a podcast on the fateful night when 3 out of 4 girls travelling together disappeared?
Some surprises along the way.
Thanks to NetGalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, Penguin and the author for a advanced reader copy.in return for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book, great writing, great story that keeps you guessing until the end.
I was a little confused as to how the two storylines met and kept trying to link them, I didn't manage to before the big reveal.

Three missing girls. A twenty year mystery. A woman who may be able to crack this cold case.

Twenty years ago Olivia and her friends were driving home, after a girl's night out, along the Devil's Corridor in Wiltshire, a road that has witnessed some very strange happenings over the years, swerving to avoid something in the road Olivia crashes the car, she is found in the car alone with no sign of the other three girls and to this day their disappearance is still a mystery. Now, leading up to the anniversary of that fateful night, journalist Jenna Halliday has been assigned the case, she arrives in town to question the locals for her podcast, but some of them are less than happy to see her and will do anything to drive her away...

The Girls Who Disappeared is a dual narrative story told alternately by Jenna and Olivia, the two main characters, with interspersing chapters set in Thailand about a group of friends, the nature of these chapters will become apparent later in the story. The pace of the novel is slow which is intended by Douglas to build this chilling, atmospheric read with some unexpected twists, and she did this perfectly. I took to Olivia and Jenna straight away, but found most of the other characters very untrustworthy, many of them having secrets of their own. The setting of this book was perfect, with cabins in the woods and the name Devil's Corridor itself giving me the creeps, and whilst reading this book I'm currently staying in a cabin in the countryside surrounded by trees, it's the stuff of nightmares, I can tell you! Douglas is one of a few authors where I don't read the synopsis, imagine my excitement when I saw she had a new one coming out, I knew it would be another fantastic read and she did not disappoint. I simply couldn't put it down, devouring it in a matter of hours!

I'd like to thank Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.